Exegesis of 1 John 1:3

By Pastor Dave Farmer

Exegesis in support of Expanded Translation

Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to Strong's numbering system whereby Greek words are assigned a number for easy lookup. Those who study the Scripture from the original languages are familiar with this type of lexicon.

1 John 1:3

"What we have seen and [the incarnation] is still fresh in our minds, and what we have heard and His words are still ringing in our ears, we are also reporting to you so that you also may continue having fellowship with us and more importantly this fellowship, our Christian fellowship [is] also with the Father and His unique Son, Jesus Christ."

Introduction

This is the third time that John makes the case that he knew the Lord Jesus Christ personally and was intimately involved in His ministry. Something the Gnostic teachers could not claim.

3a] ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν - "What we have seen and is still fresh in our minds and what we have heard and His words are still ringing in our ears."

Since the verbal forms, the dramatic perfect, are identical with their uses in verses one and two, we will not exegete them again. The only point to note is that they are in a different order.

Passing on The Truth

3b] ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν "we are also [resident congregation] reporting to you [nonresident congregation]."

Now the main verb of the paragraph, which began in verse one, is the present active indicative first- person plural of APANGELLO [ἀπαγγέλλομεν - 518] which means TO PROCLAIM, TO REPORT. We are translating it; WE ARE REPORTING.

The present tense is a progressive present which states a fact is beginning in the past but emphasizes the present reality. The reporting is in a state of persistence, continuing and ongoing.

Definition

The present tense may be used to describe a scene in progress, normally involving continuous action.

The Lord Jesus Christ gave the Apostles the responsibility to proclaim the Good News in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. The progressive present means the mission remains unchanged. The "APANGELLO" continues right up to the time of John's writing 1 John. In the active voice, John has been proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his ministry has continued for sixty years. The Indicative mood states the reality of a worldwide gospel ministry.

After the verb, we have the adjunctive use of the conjunction KAI [καὶ - 2532], meaning ALSO. It likewise refers to the congregation at Ephesus, which has received the face to face teaching of the Apostle. Then the dative plural indirect object of the second person plural pronoun SU [ὑμῖν - 5313]. This refers to the Apostle John's nonresident congregation. They are the local churches scattered throughout the province of Asia: Smyrna, Sardis, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Pergamum, etc. It is a dative of advantage indicating the ones who are being blessed by the action of the verb "TO YOU ALL.”

The Purpose of God

3c] ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθ̓ ἡμῶν “so that you [nonresident congregations] also [resident congregation] may continue having fellowship with us."

We begin this segment with the conjunction of purpose HINA [ἵνα -2443] meaning IN ORDER THAT. HINA plus the subjunctive mood of the verb is a common way in Greek to form a purpose clause. As in the previous segment [3b], the conjunctions refer to the recipients, the ones who will be benefitted by the fulfillment of the divine purpose, which is fellowship. The first conjunction in the order of the Greek is the adjunctive use of KAI [καὶ - 2532], meaning ALSO, referring to the congregation at Ephesus. Then the nominative plural of the 2nd person personal pronoun HUMIN [ὑμεῖς - 5213] meaning YOU [plural]. The focus of this conjunction is on the non-resident congregations of Asia Minor. The 2nd person plural is embedded in the reflected form of the verb emphasizing the recipients of the verbal action, "YOU, you may continue having." The pronoun is unnecessary. It is redundant unless the writer wanted to stress that something he was about to say was important. John is highlighting the importance of Christian fellowship.

Next is the present active subjunctive second-person plural of the verb ECHO [ἔχητε - 2192] meaning TO HAVE, TO HAVE AND HOLD. The present tense is a progressive present indicating an action in the state of persistence, "CONTINUE HAVING OR KEEP ON HAVING." In the active voice, the believer produces the action of the verb by their positive volition toward the teaching of the Word of God and the assembling of themselves together for worship. The subjunctive mood is potential, indicating that fellowship is contingent on a choice that the believer makes, "maybe you will, maybe you won't." Are you positive toward the Word of God? Each believer must make a choice. The Christians in the resident congregation must attend the gatherings of the church and place themselves under the direct teaching of the Apostle John. The believers in the nonresident congregation, as well as the ones in the future, must choose to attend those services when the Bible is taught.

Then we have the accusative singular direct object of KOINONIA [κοινωνίαν - 2842] meaning FELLOWSHIP, PARTNERSHIP, COMMUNION, A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP. Following this, we have a prepositional phrase META [μεθ̓ - 3326] plus the genitive of association of the first-person plural pronoun EGO [ἡμῶν - 2257] meaning WITH US. The purpose of the apostolic team was to make Christ known and through the gospel bring others into a unique and spiritual fellowship with Christ called the Church.

3d] καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ - “and more importantly this fellowship, our Christian fellowship [is] with the Father and His unique Son, Jesus Christ.”

We start the segment with the connective use of KAI [καὶ - 2532], meaning AND. Grace keeps on giving. Next is the postpositive conjunction DE [δὲ -1161] used emphatically, MORE IMPORTANTLY. Something greater is now being revealed. Accepting Christ not only provides us with new relationships--a spiritual bond of unity with other believers; it also makes available a close and intimate relationship with the God of Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ.

Grammar: Possessives in Koine Greek

In the four ways a possessive idea is formed in the KOINE, this is the second way, the use of the possessive adjective.¹ This phrase is very emphatic and one that is characteristic of John, " ἡ κοινωνία ἡ ἡμετέρα." Translated means "This fellowship, our Christian fellowship." Dr. Vincent explains:

"...Our fellowship (ἡ κοινωνία ἡ ἡμετέρα). More strictly, the fellowship, that which is ours, according to John’s characteristic practice of defining and emphasizing a noun by an article and possessive pronoun. See on John 10:27. Ours (possessive instead of a personal pronoun) indicating fellowship as a distinguishing mark of Christians rather than as merely something enjoyed by them." ²

Structurally, we start the phrase with the nominative singular article acting as a demonstrative pronoun meaning THIS. Next is the nominative singular subject of KOINONIA [κοινωνία -2842] connoting FELLOWSHIP. The article is repeated modifying the nominative plural possessive pronoun HEMETEROS [ἡμετέρα - 2251] which is used as an attributive adjective signifying OURS.

In this construction, ³ the possessive adjective HEMETEROS further clarifies the concept of fellowship. The fellowship which is characteristically Christian. The translation is "our fellowship," but closer to what John is writing would be, “This fellowship, our Christian fellowship."

Other passages where John uses this construction:

John 10:27 "My sheep" is "The sheep, the ones that belong to me."

John 3:29 "My Joy” is “This joy, that which is mine."

John 5:30 “My Judgment" is “The judgment, that which is mine."

John 14:15 "My Commandments" is "The commandments, those that are mine."

Grammar: Ellipsis of The Verb

John is so emotional about what he is writing that he leaves out the verb. This figurative language type is called the ellipsis of the verb. ⁴ When this occurs, we must supply the verb to smooth out the translation and we do so by adding the present active indicative of EIMI, meaning IS.

Why is Christian fellowship so exceptional? It is now explained. The first prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition of association META [μετὰ - 3326] plus the genitive singular articular noun, [τοῦ πατρὸς -3962], meaning WITH THE FATHER. The article is monadic. In the view of the writer the First Person of the Trinity is the only one deserving to be called Father.

This is followed by the continuative use of KAI [καὶ - 2532] meaning AND. Here is our second reason why Christian fellowship is so out of the ordinary. It begins with the preposition of association META [μετὰ - 3326] plus the subject of the preposition, the possessive genitive singular articular noun HUIOS [τοῦ υἱοῦ - 5207] meaning WITH HIS SON. In this phrase, the article modifies the noun "Son." It, too, is the monadic use of the article and is a reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. It points to Him in a particular way and should be given this translation, " unique Son." Completing the genitive phrase is the possessive genitive singular of the third-person pronoun AUTOS ⁴ [αὐτοῦ - 846] OF HIM OR HIS.

Next, in apposition, our Lord is now introduced, IESOUS [Ἰησοῦ - 2424] CHRISTOS [Χριστοῦ - 5547] meaning JESUS CHRIST. It is interesting to note that this is the first time the Lord's name appears in 1 John. He is the unnamed subject of nine relative causes: What was from the beginning, what we have heard [2 times], what we have seen [3 times], what we have examined, what we have touched, and what we have announced. His full name is the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord is his name representing His deity. IESOUS means "Jesus saves" and this is the name that represents His humanity. Christ is the name the connects Him to the Old Testament word Messiah [מָשִׁיחַ mā·šî^aḥ]. Both words mean "The Anointed One” and represent His First Advent ministry of providing salvation.

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ENDNOTES

¹ The KOINE does not have a distinct possessive pronoun. So, the idea of ownership, something belonging to or possessed by someone, is constructed in four ways:

The First Major Way: by the use of the possessive adjectives (ἐμός, σός, ἡμέτερος, ὑμέτερος) [This way lexicalizes possession (i.e., the notion of possession is part of the lexical root).

“There are some grammarians that look at these as possessive pronouns. Wallace asks, “Are the terms ἐμός, σός, ἡμέτερος, and ὑμέτερος adjectives or pronouns? They predominantly function in a dependent role, modifying a noun. In all syntactical respects, they behave just like adjectives. Yet, many grammarians consider them to be pronouns. In the NT, they almost always stand in attributive position, usually dependent on a noun, agreeing with it in gender, number, and case. Furthermore, these terms, even when not modifying a noun, consistently have the article (a structural clue for adjectives, not pronouns). Wallace p.348.”

ἐμός [1699] is a possessive adjective of the first-person personal pronoun, MY, MINE. Used 68 times in the New Testament.

Σός [4674] is a possessive adjective of the second-person personal pronoun, YOUR, YOURS. Used 25 times in the New Testament.

ἡμέτερος [2251] is a possessive adjective meaning OUR. Used seven times in the New Testament.

ὑμέτερος [5212] is a possessive adjective meaning YOUR, YOURS. Used 11 times in the New Testament.

The Second Major Way: by the use of the genitive of possession of the personal pronoun.

In this construction, it regularly has the article before the head noun. As Robinson remarks, “The possessives in the N.T. usually have the article save when predicate. Robertson, A. T. (2006). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (p. 685). The standard order is an article-noun-possessive adjective. The article in this construction is generally not translated. It acts as a function marker and fulfills its function without translation.

Examples

1 John 1:3 τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ - the Son of Him = His Son. See also 1 John 1:7

1 John 1:4 ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν- the joy of us = our joy.

1 John 1:9 τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν – the sins of us = our sins.

1 John 1:10 ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ - the word of his = His word.

The Third Major Way: by the article alone in contexts were possession is implied.

Examples

Matthew 8:3

καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ

Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him.

Matthew 4:20

οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἀφέντες τὰ δίκτυα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ

and immediately they left their nets and followed him

The fourth Major Way: by the adjective ἴδιος [2398 – 114 times] which means “pertaining to being the exclusive property of someone - one’s own. [The notion of possession is part of the lexical root.]

2 Peter 3:16

as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Romans 8:32

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

² Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 310). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

³ Grammar: The Second Attributive Position

The adjective may be either attributive or predicate in relation to the noun. That is, it may either modify the noun or assert something about it. When the article is present, it is usually easy to discern the relationship.

Clarification:

Grammarians look very closely at the variety of positions or order of words when a noun is modified by an adjective. There are a variety of constructions. Regarding our illustration, the expression is translated "our fellowship," yet in the Greek, the adjective "ours" comes after the noun "the fellowship the ours." Also, both the noun and the adjective have articles. Sometimes they have no articles [Romans 2:7; Titus 1:2] and sometimes we have the article-adjective-noun [John 17:2; Acts 13:46; 1 Tim 6:12]. Dr. Robinson says the normal position of the adjective is between the article and the substantive (noun), so there must be a reason for the other constructions. Robinson-Grammar p.776-777.

Dr. Wallace classifies this type of construction as "the second attributive position." He writes:

The second attributive position is article-noun-article-adjective (e.g., ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ ἀγαθός = the good king). This difference in the placement of the adjective is not one of relation but of position and emphasis. In the second attributive position “both substantive and adjective receive emphasis, and the adjective is added as a sort of climax in apposition with a separate article.” A literal, though awkward, gloss, bringing out the force of such a construction of ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ ἀγαθός, is “the king, the good one.” This construction occurs frequently. Wallace p. 306-307

The expanded translation comes to be, "this fellowship, our Christian fellowship."

⁴ El-lip´-sis. This is the Greek word ἔλλειψις, a leaving in, from ἐν (en) in, and λείπειν (leipein) to leave. The figure is so called because some gap is left in the sentence, which means that a word or words are left out or omitted. The English name of the figure would therefore be Omission. Bullinger, E. W. (1898). Figures of speech used in the Bible (p. 1). London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co.

⁴ See above, footnote 1, “The Second Way,” the idea of possession is formed.